With a Friend Like This Who Needs Enemies?
Canada is morally bound to uphold its own rule of law, to uphold international law and to support those countries which do the same. In the Middle East, only Israel is a democracy, upholds the law, and even extends human rights upon its enemies, of which there are many, some intent on its destruction.
Canada cannot claim a higher moral authority than Israel and must not be influenced by those antiZionists who hide their antisemitism under the guise of simply criticizing Israeli policy. Nor should Canada turn from its Ally now, feeding into deceptive and patently false information about Israel’s rights. The lands of Judea and Samaria, the Golan Heights, Gaza and the Jordan Valley were all granted to the Jewish people to re-constitute the Jewish homeland in 1920 by the World powers at San Remo, then affirmed by all founding members of the League of Nations in 1922, and this resolution was incorporated in Article 80 of the foundational document of the United Nations in 1945. Such decision has never nor can ever be abrogated.
More importantly, Israel liberated these areas from aggressor nations in 1967 and had the right to annex at that time; but did not. It negotiated peaceful settlements and returned land, the Sinai went to Egypt. It united Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the Jewish people, and gave control of the Temple Mount to Jordan, and it provided for a Palestinian Authority to be created. The hope then was to negotiate peace in a potential land deal involving Judea and Samaria which the Arabs referred to as the West Bank.
Israel has multiple times attempted to negotiate a peace with Palestinian Arabs but that “ partner “ is not interested in peace and is intent on destroying Israel, and makes that claim rather boldly and frequently, even if not in front of English media. The Palestinian Authority promotes terrorism, educates their children to deny Israel’s very existence, deny the Holocaust, and commit suicide. Surely it is time for the UN, the EU and the West to acknowledge these simple facts and stop coddling the PA and all the Pro-Palestinian-anti-justice organizations?
Now, a real peace plan has been proposed, providing security that could last well into the future and obviate the need for only Israel to compromise. Responsibility for peace rests with the Arabs. We urge that Canada refrain from interfering in the affairs of Israel, demonstrate Canada truly has a consistent moral code and does not deal with terrorists, does not countenance threats to its Allies, and supports democracy. Hold the PA accountable! Canada should also demonstrate consistency in applying the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism, to which the government is a signatory. Included in the definition it states antisemitism includes demonizing Israel, and applying a double standard by which no other country is judged. Why then make demands only of Israel, why ignore the PA’s treatment of its population, its refusal to have Jews live in any territory it governs, its abuse of children by asking them to die for their cause, and why not demand the PA actually negotiate for peace?
A letter stating CAEF’s position that Canada not pressure Israel, was signed by over 150 Canadians and sent on June 25th, 2020 to Prime Minister Trudeau and all Members of Cabinet. The letter was sent to all Members of Parliament on June 29 with over 275 signatures as people from across Canada wrote to ask that their name be included. The letter is posted here along with the names of all signatories.
CAEF extends a warm thank you to all who signed and apologizes if any names were missed or reported incorrectly.
News Report on CAEF Position Vis a Vis Canada’s Pressuring Israel
CAEF publicized its letter to the Federal Government and was interviewed by World News Israel on June 30th. The President, Anita Bromberg and Executive Director, Andria Spindel, responded to an interview which was published on July 2, 2020. The full interview is here.
Martin Sherman Looks at Why Western Countries Oppose the Extension of Sovereignty Over the Jewish Population of Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley and Why They are Wrong
In a highly important and timely CAEF Web Talk, Dr. Martin Sherman, Founder and CEO of the Israel Institute for Strategic Studies, provided both the political considerations that cannot be overlooked in considering Israel’s decision to extend sovereignty ie Israeli civil law, over part of Judea and Samaria, land already identified as Israel in any final settlement with Palestinian Arabs. He summarized 5 Myths about the Arabs, highlighted with photos the strategic geography and security issues that are paramount in the decision and cast doubt on all the arguments of the naysayers.
Educate Yourself, Your Children, Friends, Colleagues and Opponents
Facts are important in the battle for public support and Israel’s enemies put out tons of misinformation, disinformation and lies. The antisemites are well funded, operate across the globe through many and varying organizations, institutions, brands/campaigns and spread lies.
The best defense is Truth, the best action is to speak up, refute the lies, and most importantly to stand loud and proud for Israel!
There are tools to help educate Jews and non-Jews. One important tool: Canadians for Israel’s Legal Rights operating under the auspices of CAEF, has a website with great information about Israel’s history and Jewish rights to the land. A two-part educator’s webinar was recently held and you can access Part 1 here and Part 2 here.
The book The Jewish People’s Rights to the Land of Israel is a concise summary of the historical events that led up to and culminated in the international decisions that confirmed the Land of Israel is the Jewish Homeland. It was not a straight line and the World powers, particularly Britain, reneged or failed to implement some of their commitment to aid Jews to return to Israel and to develop the land for Jews.
ARGUMENTS AND APPEALS TO COMMON SENSE
CAEF has chosen three articles for our readers that present the case for Israeli sovereignty over areas with 400,000 Jews, land in Area C, administered now by the Israeli military and all assumed under the Oslo Accord to be brought into Israel proper.
Melanie Philips, a journalist and blogger, speaks to how the anti-Black Racism campaign has falsely and incongruously incorporated anti—annexation into its rhetoric and pushed antisemitism in its messaging.
Here is an excerpt:
“In this period of civilizational turmoil, supposed progressives campaigning against the sovereignty proposal falsely project onto Israel crimes of which not only is it innocent, but of which the progressive class itself is guilty.
Take the claim that Israel’s “annexation” is unlawful. Under international law, annexation has a precise meaning: the forcible incorporation by one state of the territory of another state. This does not apply to the disputed territories, which never belonged in law to any other state.”
Alex Traiman, Managing Director and Jerusalem Bureau Chief of the Jewish News Syndicate, describes the myth associated and propagated about Israeli annexation.
Here is an excerpt:
“Many of today’s critics specifically call Israel’s upcoming move an “annexation” because the politically charged term falsely implies that Israel will be marching across a line and taking over property it has no rights to and does not currently control. Yet what Israel is about to do is alter its own governing structure and formally apply Israeli law to the 400,000 Jewish citizens who already live in the strategic lands the Jewish state has controlled for decades.
The land in question represents approximately half of the territory delegated to Israeli control by the now infamous Oslo Accords. This territory is legally referred to as “Area C.”
Jews living in “Area C” are full, tax-paying Israeli citizens. The Israeli government administers these territories and maintains the daily life of its Jewish residents. Such basic services include providing for physical safety, funding infrastructure, paving streets, supplying electricity and water, collecting garbage and so on.
With the move, Israel would demilitarize its administration of key settlement blocs by simply removing the authority of an Israel Defense Forces’-controlled “Civil Administration” originally set up to govern settlements.
For all the criticism now being hurled at Israel’s unity government, the Jewish state is not about to march across a line or border or to claim even an inch of new territory. It’s not about to advance a single tank or soldier, or place its flag anywhere that it has not already been proudly hanging for decades.
As such, the move poses no threat to the sustainability of the Palestinian Authority or to Israel’s critical relations with Jordan.
Perhaps instead of criticizing Israel for its legal maintenance of the territories it controls, critics should press on the Palestinian Authority to start behaving like a peaceful actor.”
Caroline Glick, Author and Senior Columnist for Israel Hayom, wrote an article published in Newsweek, May 17, 2020 on why sovereignty is the key to peace.
Read excerpt here:
“The state of Israel has sovereign rights to Judea and Samaria by force of its declaration of independence issued 72 years ago, on May 14, 1948. With its declaration of independence, together with Britain's surrender of the Mandate it had been granted by the League of Nations to reconstitute the ancient Jewish national home, Israel became the one and only state that acquired sovereignty over all the Mandate's territory.”
“For the past 26 years, Israel has shared governance of the "West Bank" with an autonomous Palestinian Authority. Israel has governed its portion of the territory under military administration. Nearly half a million Israelis and more than 100,000 Palestinians reside in cities, towns and villages in Judea and Samaria governed by the Israel Defense Forces.
Israel's civilian legal code is far more liberal than the military laws that currently apply to the areas. The civil rights of area residents—Jews and Arabs alike—will be far better protected under Israeli law than they have been under Israeli military administrative law.”
“The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will benefit from the move because soldiers and officers will not be responsible for issues like directing traffic and providing building permits for everything from parking lots to kindergartens to neighborhoods.”